Issue - meetings

To receive a Budget Statement from the Leader of the Council, to consider the following reports of the Director of Resources (copies enclosed) and to determine the level of Council Tax.

Local Government Finance Act 1992

Members’ attention is drawn to Procedure Rule 13(5) and the requirement for any vote taken at a budget decision meeting to be recorded in the Minutes.

The Council considered the reports of the Director of Resources, on the recommendations of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee at its meeting on 29 January 2019 relating to the revenue budget and the proposed level of Council Tax for 2109 / 20.

The Leader of the Council made a Budget speech (attached at APPENDIX 1 to these Minutes).

In response to the Budget Speech, the Leader of the Opposition, Councillor B S Beale commented on the lack of funding by Government along with other issues which resulted in budget gaps that had to be found by the Council.  He highlighted the obligation the Council had to its communities to keep the budget within a reasonable and acceptable manner and felt that what was being proposed did that.  Councillor Beale advised that there were however certain aspects of the budget which the Independents were not in favour of but were happy to agree what was being put forward as part members of the Maldon District Council.

Councillor D M Sismey, Chairman of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee, in seconding the Leaders’ proposition and budget proposals commented on how three quarters of other councils in the country were increasing their council tax by more than 2.5% and over half were drawing on reserves for 2019 / 20.  He referred to how the Council was delivering value and efficiencies for its residents by doing neither of these but proposing an increase in council tax that was lower that the Retail Price Index inflation.  Councillor Sismey highlighted the full council transformation that the Council was currently undergoing and its prudent financial management.  In his conclusion, Councillor Sismey referred to how the Council was increasingly seen as a model of effective change and transformation and commended the budget to the Council.